Drop off anything you can find to the Cleaning Kit bin on DRIVE & DROP MONDAYS – Noon to 7:30PM.

Thank you for any help you can give!

Got Mask?

As the world is slowly opening back up, masks are now an essential when venturing out. Are you equipped, or do you need a mask?

The GUMC UMW are here to help out. The UMW are prepared to sew up to 60 masks to offer in exchange for free-will online donations to the GUMC food pantry. Need a mask, send your request to GUMCwomen@gmail.com, and we will get you set up!

Are you a seamstress and willing to help sew?

* Kernan Hospital is currently treating and rehabilitating COVID patients. They are accepting mask donations and are willing to provide fabric bundles. If you are interested in helping Kernan Hospital, reach out to Jean Riley

If you would like to take part in preparing a part of the meal and would like to be added (or removed) from the Grassroots email distribution list, contact Julie Carignan (carignanjulia@gmail.com) or Peggy Koele (peggykoele@me.com).

Please follow all Social Distancing protocols when dropping off your wonderful creations!

Food Drive for students of Lake Elkhorn Middle School on Mondays between Noon and 7:30PM

Thank you to all who have donated money and food to feed the kids from Lake Elkhorn. In one month we’ve fed almost 200 kids and were able to give a little extra to feed their parents. Your help is greatly appreciated by the families and the staff at Lake Elkhorn.

We are trying to provide at least 20 bags of food to feed 82 kids each weekend.

We are having trouble getting the following items from the Maryland Food Bank, so your donations are gratefully needed as you are able on our Drop-Off Mondays:

This Week’s List

-Canned vegetables (We have 0 quantity for next week’s delivery.)

-Peanut butter and Jelly

-Pasta and tomato sauce

-Rice

(Item list can be found on the donation shopping list above.)

Please drop off your food donations on Drive & Drop Mondays –A box for donations will be at a back door of the church from Noon to 7:30 PM. Please follow all Social Distancing protocols when dropping off your wonderful creations!

Thank you for helping to feed these children!

-AND-

We have collected $1800 towards our goal!

SWEET! With 3 weeks to go!!

Goal Amount: $2000 (80 – $25 cards)

Go to our GUMC webpage and click on the Online Giving link. You can then click on the “Food Ministries” button to donate toward this cause.

Any questions contact Lisa Dolce @410-375-1928

Walkin’ and Rockin’

Are you filling your heart, soul, and time taking lovely walks during this time of Social Isolation? Would it lift your spirits to see a colorful rock with an inspiring message as you made the 1000th trek of the same path? What would it make you happy to see? Why not create a rock to place along your path for someone else to find? Your message could be an image, a smiley face, an inspiring quote to keep us all holding on, a message of faith, or an original thought. Let’s Rock as we Walk!

If you would like, you can post photos of your creations on the GUMC Fellowship Facebook page!

GUMC Connect

If you need some help obtaining groceries – even a loaf of bread or some milk, a bit of yard work, or something that could be done via Social Distancing please visit our GUMC Fellowship Facebook Page and write a request.

If you are able to help a fellow congregant with their request, make contact via private message.

We live in challenging times. We have all heard that obvious statement of late. Yet we know these challenging times come with Faith and hope and the promise for better days ahead. Days when we can meet face-to-face for fellowship after worship (without the use of Zoom!). Days when we can share a Summer dinner with loved-ones (even with those with whom we are not quarantining!). It will likely be some time before we can enjoy those things we took for granted not long ago, but they will happen again. Our sacrifices of isolation and social distancing are what we do for the greater good, to safeguard the health of older and/or vulnerable friends. Perhaps one of the best expressions of Love we can show in these challenging times.

All of GUMC’s committees led by Finance are currently engaged in discussions of possible changes in budget levels should that become necessary later this year. This is due to a drop off in offerings that could continue for some time. We commit to maintaining the church’s important programs as funding permits and will keep you informed of any changes.

We once again encourage everyone who has not been financially impacted by the pandemic to give consistently at your normal levels. We continue to pay our outstanding staff who have done a fantastic job of adapting to the changing circumstances and providing meaningful ways for us to connect and worship. Committees continue to function and are finding inventive ways to serve those in need. The work of our church is needed more than ever, and we need your financial support to empower that work. Please click Online Giving for the easiest and most secure way to give.

Good Afternoon, SPRC Chair Thrasher and all other SPRC Ministry Members:

Praying you all are well, healthy and safe. Thank you for the opportunity to share. I am Pastor Cecil C. Gray, BA, MDiv, PhD, an ordained elder with thirty-four (34) years of service within The United Methodist Church. My pastoral journey began when I was twenty-six years young, at a new church in State College, PA, four blocks from the main campus of the Pennsylvania State University. I have served as pastor of congregations in Central Pennsylvania, Eastern Pennsylvania, and within the BaltimoreWashington Conference. As a child and adolescent, I grew up and lived in various places within the United States and overseas. I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY (direct appointment); The University of Virginia (BA), Charlottesville, Virginia; the Global Academy/ICA (international pedagogical skills), Chicago, Illinois; Wesley Theological Seminary (MDiv), Washington, DC; and Temple University (PhD), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While earning the PhD, I was drafted into teaching at Temple University and served as Executive Director of The Church and World Institute at Temple University.

As an adult, I have been blessed with learning, preaching, teaching, consulting and serving in various communities and contexts throughout the United States and overseas. I love GOD, attempt to emulate Jesus The Christ, know the peace and power of The Holy Spirit, am curious about life, am a seeker of Truth, and believe All people are precious and deserving of life and life more abundantly.

While serving in Extension Ministry as a full-time university professor in the United States in the 1990s, I was called upon by Bishop Felton May (and Bishop Christopher Jokomo) to design, develop and implement the first Pastors’ School (1997) at Africa University, Old Mutare, Zimbabwe. I also served as Dean of the Pastors’ School and saw that effort continue forward for many years. At the request of then Vice Chancellor, Dr. Murapa, I also edited and refined syllabi and courses at Africa University. Upon invitation, I have also delivered lectures and presentations and have consulted at Christian and secular universities and institutions in the United States/North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

My approach to ministry is to love, listen, learn, serve-and-lead by example, observe, affirm, care and pray . . . and pray more; and to trust GOD to move and manifest healing, wellness, wisdom, growth, victories, joy and peace. Please share with me whatever you all wish to continue, wish to build, and/or wish to accomplish — small or large; and I will give you my best effort to help make it so.

Please call and text – and, if possible, email me — at any hour; and I will respond as quickly as I am able, usually within a few hours.

Looking forward to learning, journeying, serving and growing with you all, in Spirit and in Truth, in the Name and Spirit of Jesus The Christ, The Risen and Resurrected One, Amen.

We want to update you on the financial status of our church during these challenging times. As some of you may know, we have applied for a loan/grant through the recently passed federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP) to maintain the payroll for the church staff and preschool school teachers. The purpose of this loan/grant is to continue the positive impact of Glenelg United Methodist Church (GUMC) for our local community and region. We will continue to contribute toward our conference mission share, some of which will be distributed by the United Methodist Church to congregations and other causes in-need due to the coronavirus. Under the conditions of the PPP, if the loan is used for payment of staff payroll and the church’s mortgage, as is our commitment, the loan will be forgiven.

Another challenge was also recently presented to our church. Last week, there was an attempted but unsuccessful breach of the church’s mailbox which rendered it unusable. For the time being, we are having GUMC’s mail forwarded, so you can still mail your contributions directly to the church by sending your check with your offering envelope to the address below:

Glenelg UMC13900 Burntwoods RoadGlenelg, MD 21737.

We also encourage our congregation to consider giving on-line, following the instructions below: To give electronically;

Click here for VANCO’s secure website. (VANCO is recommended by the General Conference of the United Methodist Church)

Enter your contribution amount in General Operating, fill out Donation Frequency (One Time, Weekly, Monthly), and Fill Out Donation Start Date. You do not have to create a profile unless you want to. Hit the Continue button.

You also have the option of using your bank’s billpay service, for which the bank will mail a check to the church.

The Life of the church continues as there are online prayer, bible study, and worship opportunities noted on the church’s homepage. As difficult as these times are for all of us, God is in control and as Pastor Alice has stated many times, All is Well. God knows our concerns and abides with us to encourage and comfort us. We pray for your health and safety and look forward to seeing you soon.

Ann and David Wood in honor of:Our children and grandchildrenMedical personnel and first responders fighting COVID-19Farmers, agricultural personnel and food processing operationsTruckers, grocery and pharmacy personnel

Laura and Terry Burns-Heffner in memory of:Rev. James BurnsTim Heffner

The next adult Bible study will begin on Sunday, 4/19, at 6:30 pm. The study will be held on-line using Zoom. We just completed a study using Zoom and it went very well, so please join us! The next six-week study will be “Revival, Faith as Wesley Lived It,” by Adam Hamilton.

Description below:

If you’ve taken a class using Adam Hamilton’s The Journey or The Way, you know how his DVD sessions seem part travelogue—part history lesson—a lot Bible study. In Revival, he once again uses his captivating, storytelling talent to take you on a six-week journey through England tracing the life of John Wesley. Wesley’s message and his faith continue to speak to twenty-first-century Christians, calling for a revival of our hearts and souls so that our world might be changed. His story is our story. It’s our heritage, it defines our faith, and it challenges us to rediscover our spiritual passion.

The study guide currently appears to be unavailable from Amazon, but is available from Cokesbury with free shipping, but don’t expect one-day delivery, so order soon. If you are interested in participating, please email Craig Lee (craig_and_jan@verizon.net) so you can be added to the Zoom invitation.

Wednesday, April 86:30 pm Journey to the CrossBy phone 646-876-9923 Meeting ID: 224 633 8569This is usually an experiential journey that we gather at the church and all the supplies are provided. This can be a very impactful experience. You can participate with or without gathering your own supplies. If you wish to join in the full experience gather as many of the items listed below as you are able to have in your space when you join the zoom call. (See below for a list of supplies. It is NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE SUPPLIES to join the journey to the cross experience.)

Thursday, April 97:00 pm Maundy Thursday ServiceBy phone 646-876-9923 Meeting ID: 224 633 8569This is an interactive service. You are invited to bring your family. Everyone is asked to please have bread and juice (or whatever you might have handy) and a bowl (or pan) of water along with towels and lotion.

Lit CandlePen/PencilRock (one that you can hold in your hand – representing your sin)3 Silver Coins Bowl with water or Hand sanitizer and TowelSheet of Paper (white if possible)Red: Crayon/Paint/Marker/PenNail & Hammer (just as a visual)… not necessary

Even though we are separated physically, we can still feel together the spirit of Lent and the Easter season. Many around us are suffering financially due to the pandemic we face, so the need for our food pantry is stronger than ever. To that end, we are continuing our tradition of Easter dedications that are used to support the food pantry and those it serves with Walmart gift cards.

This is your opportunity to remember or honor loved ones at Easter bypurchasing $10 gift cards to be distributed by our Food Pantry Committee. The list of donors and those being memorialized or honored will beincluded in the church bulletin on Easter Sunday.

We are working to connect people who can help with those who need help.If you are in a position to help, please complete the form and let us knowhow you might be available to help (pick up groceries, provide day care, etc.).